Television series

Because This Is My First Life

Name: Because This Is My First Life
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: 2017
Cast: Jung So Min, Lee Min Ki, Esom, Park Byung Eun, Kim Ga Eun

Social drama

A sharp, funny drama about two thirty-somethings—one house-poor, one homeless—who become unlikely housemates and gradually unpick their assumptions about marriage, ambition, and what a life well-lived actually means. It's tender without being sentimental, romantic without being saccharine, and genuinely interested in what its characters think.

TVMaze rating

4.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy slow-burn romantic comedy where the humor comes from ordinary money worries, awkward domestic habits and two stubborn adults circling each other over shared meals.

Skip it if you want a romance that moves briskly toward its couple, since this one is patient, talky and happy to spend long stretches on rent, jobs and the everyday details of getting by.

What it asks of you: Sixteen one-hour episodes, unhurried and conversational, with quiet stretches between the jokes. It rewards steady attention more than it rewards binge-watching in a rush.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Crash Landing on You2019

A South Korean heiress and North Korean army officer fall in love across an impossible border. It has the same warmth, comedy timing, and belief in romance as a practical philosophy that makes *Because This Is My First Life* so winning.

But The premise is inherently silly and the show sometimes leans into that silliness harder than the drama can support. If you need grounded realism throughout, you'll have moments of resistance.

Romance Is a Bonus Book2019

A divorcée returns to the workforce at a publishing house and slowly rebuilds her life and confidence. It shares the same faith in small, unglamorous growth and the radical idea that you don't need a man to fix your problems—you need good work and friends.

But The pacing is deliberate and the stakes feel modest. If you prefer high-octane plots, this quiet focus on character will feel slow.

Her Private Life2019

A successful art museum curator hides her fangirl life from her colleagues, then falls for the actor she obsesses over. It's witty, sexy, and genuinely interested in how women navigate desire and self-presentation without apology.

But The second half relies on manufactured drama and misunderstandings that can feel thin. Some tonal whiplash between comedy and melodrama.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Because This Is My First Life

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Hyena2020

Both shows interrogate marriage and cohabitation as economic and social acts, but where one asks 'what could love be?', the other asks 'what has love become?'—the inverse register on the same question.

A male and female divorce lawyer fall in love while navigating cases that expose marriage as a financial and emotional transaction. It shares the unflinching look at modern love and money, but trades warmth for acid—it's about people who use marriage as a weapon, not a haven.

But It's cynical and sexually explicit in ways that feel clinical rather than romantic. If you love *Because This Is My First Life* for its tenderness, this will feel like a betrayal.

Something in the Rain2018

A woman in her late 30s begins a relationship with her friend's younger brother, and the show fearlessly explores the social pressure, family judgment, and internal doubt that follow. It's achingly honest about class and marriage anxiety.

But The family disapproval plotline becomes relentless and the ending divides viewers sharply. Some find it brave; others find it frustrating.

One Spring Night2019

A widow and a man from a wealthy family fall in love, and the show calmly examines whether love survives when everything else—family, class, expectation—says it shouldn't. It's mature and unsentimental.

But The central conflict is essentially 'his family disapproves,' which can feel thin if you're impatient with that particular form of K-drama tension.

My Mister2018

A middle-aged man and a young woman form an unlikely bond that transcends romance. It's about loneliness, economic precarity, and the small kindnesses that make life survivable. Devastatingly humane.

But At sixteen episodes with a glacial pace, it requires serious patience. The bleakness can be suffocating if you're not in the mood for it.

Oh My Ghost2015

A timid woman is visited by a horny ghost and gains confidence, then falls for a chef. It's a silly premise executed with real charm, and it understands that growth and romance can coexist without either being the punchline.

But The ghost-comedy elements clash with the genuine romance plot. If you can't hold both tones in your head, it's uneven.

What's Wrong with Secretary Kim2018

A powerful man and his secretary finally admit they're in love. It's unabashedly fun, beautifully shot, and interested in the eroticism of power dynamics and mutual devotion. A genuinely good time.

But The power imbalance at the story's heart is never truly interrogated. If that bothers you, the show's charm won't overcome it.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo2016

A weightlifter and a swimmer fall in love while navigating university, family pressure, and who they're supposed to be. It's fizzy, funny, and genuinely rooting for its characters to be happy and honest.

But It's lighter in every way—plot, theme, emotional weight. After *Because This Is My First Life*, it might feel like cotton candy.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo2022

Both insist that there's more than one way to build a life, and both trust that being yourself—weirdly, stubbornly yourself—is actually the foundation of genuine connection.

A brilliant autistic lawyer navigates a law firm and slowly discovers what she wants from life and connection. It's warm, funny, and genuinely interested in how unconventional people build unconventional but real happiness.

But The disability rep, while well-intentioned, sometimes relies on quirk-as-character-trait. Some neurodivergent viewers find it reductive.